Frank B. (Frank Bunker) Gilbreth

Born in Fairfield, Maine, Frank Bunker Gilbreth began his career as a bricklayer and building contractor before moving into engineering and consulting. That hands-on background shaped his lifelong interest in finding better, faster, and less wasteful ways to do everyday work.

He is best known for developing motion study and for his role in the early scientific management movement. Working closely with his wife, Lillian Moller Gilbreth, he studied how tasks were performed in factories, workshops, and other workplaces, looking for ways to reduce unnecessary effort while improving efficiency.

Gilbreth's influence reached far beyond his own lifetime, helping lay the groundwork for modern industrial engineering and ergonomics. He is also remembered as the father in the family later portrayed in Cheaper by the Dozen, which brought the Gilbreths' energetic household to a wide popular audience.